Aaditya Thackeray slams government for austerity ‘drama’

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday (May 14, 2026) hit out at the Government for indulging in "drama of austerity with cameras perfectly placed to film it".

He also attributed India's current "economic crisis" to its "failed" policies of the last 12 years.

Amid the crisis in West Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made a push for austerity. He suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles, utilising railway services for parcel movement, and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.

Responding to the PM's appeal, several prominent leaders in the government have announced steps like reducing the size of their convoy and switching to electric vehicles. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday (May 14, 2026) reached the Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai on a motorcycle.

In a post on X, Mr. Thackeray said, "It's amazing to see members of the government indulge in drama of austerity with cameras perfectly placed to film it.”

”The audacity to know the economic situation that their failed policies have put India in, then to be ok with thousands of crores be spent on their travels and campaign during elections, and then to indulge in such drama," he said.

The economic crisis that India faces today is not just the war in the West Asia, but because of 12 years of economic policies that have been a big failure, Mr. Thackeray claimed.

"In a country where millions are unemployed, looking for jobs, numbers are falsely portrayed in data to show less poverty- as against the reality, instead of giving tasks to people and asking for sacrifice, the government should be transparent about its responsibility, duty and what it's doing for Indians," the former State Minister added.